KOTA KINABALU: Villagers in Kg Sugud, Penampang, who have been living on muddy ground for almost two months since the massive floods and landslides on Sept 15 are calling on the authorities to have a proper dialogue with them.

       They want to share their thoughts on what is needed to fix the situation and help the victims, instead of using heavy machinery without making much of an impact, said Decy Ebol, a coordinator for donations and distribution of aid.

       “There are a few excavators here with the workers moving mud and debris every day, but they are going about it the wrong way,” she claimed.

       She alleged that instead of clearing the roads and paths properly, the workers appointed by the Drainage and Irrigation Department were only transferring the hardened mud from one section to another, which later turns into muddy water again whenever it rains.

       Ebol said the residents had tried giving suggestions to the workers on how to prevent this from happening as the roads and people’s houses would again be full of muddy water when it rains, but they were not willing to listen.

       “We have engineers on our side as well as villagers who know how the rain water runs when it rains, so we told the workers this but they just would not listen,” she claimed.

       How it looks every time it rains in Sugud, Penampang.

       Ebol also said while the government had started rendering the help it promised with the distribution of the flood relief funds, much work was still needed to fix the damaged hill slopes and broken bridges.

       “Roads need to be properly cleared because the remnants from the mudflood makes it slippery for road users with smaller vehicles,” she said.

       She called on the authorities to help them by listening to what the villagers have to say and to have a proper dialogue to talk about issues they are still facing till today, including water woes.

       “Please, can we just sit together and discuss these matters, share our thoughts and maybe then do things right?” Ebol asked.

       Meanwhile, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor had on Friday (Nov 5) said that flood mitigation programmes for Penampang are going on as scheduled.

       He said two out of the three mitigation programmes planned have been completed.

       He also urged for disaster preparedness statewide to be in place in view of the North-East Monsoon season this month.